Frank Fontaine
Frank Fontaine was a major antagonist from the first Bioshock, making a reappearance in the DLC Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea 2 as the disguised villain Atlas. A manipulative, conniving conman, Fontaine singlehandedly sparked the conflict that plunged Rapture into civil war, causing its de facto leader, Andrew Ryan, to crack down on personal liberties for its people in an effort to bring him to "justice". Fontaine was also a shrewd businessman, making hundreds of thousands of dollars promoting gene-modifying tonics called plasmids, created from a substance called ADAM. This is not the first Frank Fontaine to be played on CRRP, but it is the first time he has made any significant impact on the board. He has been active since 2 April 2014, and is also played by the same RPer as Judith and Variphyla. Background An orphan, Frank found an early love for theatre and learned the tricks of the trade, utterly intrigued with the idea of leaving impressions on people through acting and costumes. He grew up with an assortment of aliases, one of his most prominant being used to land him flase businesses and connections to people in high places. Frank used his skills of the grift to become a bookmaking business. After creating a fake loan company and managing to swindle a man out of his bar in 1946, Frank set up shop there and not only turned a profit there but also managed to rig a high-stakes boxing match and make a large amount of money as the mob lost out on what should have been a rigged match. Later that year, he received a tip about Andrew Ryan's "North Atlantic Project", and, after having done a bit of research, learned of a smuggler named Frank Fontaine who was supplying Ryan's workers with fish. The conman hired a bit of extra muscle and intimidated the real Fontaine into selling his business to him; instead of paying the smuggler, however, Frank killed Fontaine and assumed his identity, continuing his service to Ryan and writing flattering letters to the business mogul, eventually asking to join him in Rapture. In 1948, Ryan finally granted the new Fontaine his request and brought him under the sea, along with some of his loyal crew, including Reggie, a bouncer and confidant of Fontaine, and Peach Wilkins. Soon after arriving, Fontaine established Fontaine Fisheries as a cover for a large-scale smuggling ring to bring contraband items to Rapture, including bibles and tobacco. Later, Bridg et Tenenbaum, a German scientist and survivor of the concentration camps of World War II, approached him with the opportunity of a lifetime--harvesting ADAM, a substance that seemed like a medical cure-all. Fontaine saw the possibilities and agreed to fund research, building a facility on the edge of the trench that was the home of the slug that produced ADAM. This in turn led to the creation of Fontaine Futuristics, one of the largest industries in Rapture. After being informed that young girls could be made into ADAM factories, Fontaine established Little Sister Orphanages, a front where parents could voluntarily give up their daughters in order to turn them into little sisters. Continuing off of this, he also created the Fontaine Home for the Poor, which provided housing and meals for destitute citizens of Rapture, which helped to boost his public image further. Andrew Ryan soon grew suspicious of Fontaine's rise in power and influence, and he learned of the smuggling ring. He feared that such a connection would cause the surface world to discover Rapture, which would taint the very city itself and go against every reason of Rapture's existence. Ryan then took increasing drastic steps to attempt to root out connections to Fontaine and the smuggling ring. However, Fontaine himself had managed to buy Ryan's unborn son from Jasmine Jolene, Ryan's mistress, and instructed one of his top scientists to artificially age, brainwash, and train the child, which created an obedient assassin whom he sent to the surface as a sleeper agent. This son would return to Rapture a few years later and carry out his task. On September 12, 1958, Fontaine apparently died in a shootout with Ryan's men; however, the man that died was actually Reggie, who had undergone plastic surgery to take Fontaine's appearance. Fontaine himself, however, had also undergone plastic surgery, returning as Atlas, a proletariat hero. He stood up to Ryan and helped distribute food and supplies to the poor, which gave him a leadership status among those who opposed Ryan. Civil war soon broke out, and support for "Atlas" grew as Ryan was forced into using dirty tactics to try and keep everyone in control. Sometime in 1960, "Atlas", feeling trapped now with Ryan controlling all bathysphere access and most splicers through pheromone control, forced a young woman to raise him up from the depths of the ocean and recover his ace in the hole--the sleeper-agent assassin from the surface. After leading the assassin, Jack, through Rapture and forcing him to kill Ryan, Atlas revealed himself to be Fontaine, ending his deception. With Tenenbaum's help, Jack managed to release himself from the mind control, and Fontaine began to panic slightly. Things were no longer going according to plan. He saw that there was a few plasmids nearby and cautiously grabbed them, never having spliced before... but he grabbed one that had been deemed unstable, and he suddenly found himself in a place that was vastly different from Rapture... Involvement Shortly after arriving in the Multiverse, Fontaine discovered Subject Lambda, an old Alpha Series Big Daddy that had washed up with him. Deciding that he needed the protection, Fontaine managed to condition Lambda into following him with the little bit of ADAM he had on his person. Still, it was enough, and Fontaine decided to begin rebuilding his plasmid empire by first searching out for some real estate in the Wing of Nightfall. On his little journey, he ran into Rose Shepard and Miles after they blew up a building in a junkyard. After seeing Lambda, Miles became enamored with Fontaine and his technology, especially after having seen a leftover plasmid for Telekinesis that he had managed to salvage. While Rose was immediately skeptical of the conman, she extended an open invitation for him to join the Phoenixes after he proved his worth. Miles, on the other hand, showed a bit of gumption by insisting that he and Fontaine go into business together in order to create and sell more plasmids, to which the conman agreed on the condition that they go back and grab some more plans and samples for plasmids back in Rapture. Finding a suitable Rapture in Infected Earth, Fontaine, Lambda, and Miles all descended to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean and made their way into the condemned Fontaine Futuristics building. In the entry hall, a splicer attacked the group but was quickly killed after bursting through a security window. A radio inside the security station crackled, having heard the audio of the firefight, and Fontaine recognized the voice to be that of Gilbert Alexander's, one of the top scientists of the facility. Fontaine and crew continued into the facility, but Miles decided to take a detour through the Plasmid Show Rooms, wanting to see the theater area. They were treated to a slaughter of splicers by a Big Daddy protecting its Little Sister. After heading back, the group was suddenly assaulted by a small collection of splicers--including a houdini splicer and a brute splicer that burst through the doors of Fontaine's office. After killing them with a bit of ingenuity, Fontaine and Miles grabbed the key to the ADAM labs before continuing onward. The group then found themselves face to face with Gilbert Alexander, an old associate of Fontaine's who took over the company after his "death" in 1958. After coming to grips with the fact that Fontaine was still alive and well, Alexander begrudgingly relinquished control of the conman's assets--including plasmid designs and control of all of the ADAM production--before watching them simply leave, assuming control of the underwater city himself. Most recently, Fontaine's expertise in plasmids has been requested by SA-X in an expedition down to Rapture. He, along with Lambda and newest "recruits" Reaver and Alauniira, will descend with the parasite and the Uber Ethereal and discover what lies beneath. After a bit of time spent in the Multiverse, Fontaine acquired enough wealth to open up his own shop, Fontaine Futuristics. Here, he sells a limited selection of plasmids and gene tonics for other consumers to imbibe. While business is slow, he realizes that it's only a matter of time until people begin to see the power of plasmids in the Multiverse. He has been holding focus groups--or rather, forcing Reaver to facilitate focus groups--to determine what products to put on shelves next. Due to his and Miles' research, the shelves of his stores had been lined with more plasmids and gene tonic varieties than ever before. After seeing the success of his store and their little "business venture", Fontaine was approached by Shepard in joining her and the Phoenixes of Armageddon, a faction of mercenaries who feel that the current governmental powers (and the Shy Guys) are being oppressive. Seeing as this was a chance to expand his operations further, Fontaine agreed. As part of his first "assignment" with the Phoenixes, he was given an opportunity to create good public relations between himself and a community. Due to the inherent wealth and power that rested in the magicite mines, Fontaine took Reaver and Lambda to the floating city of Bhujerba in Ivalice, hoping to create a similar situation to that of Rapture and winning the hearts and minds of the lower classes... Powers and Capabilities Fontaine himself has never spliced, knowing full well the side effects of imbibing just from watching the people of Rapture indulge themselves on his product. What makes Fontaine powerful, however, is his charisma and his connections from back home. He knows how to run a grift and a con, and he understands how to get people riled up on his side. His criminal empire cornered the plasmid market in Rapture, and because of this, he has access to plasmids that he can either use on others or his allies as he pleases. In addition, due to his upbringing, Fontaine is a master of disguise, having claimed to "been a Chinaman for six months" without arousing any sort of suspicion. Followers / Summons Subject Lambda Subject Lambda is an Alpha Series Big Daddy from Rapture, one of the original models that had been discontinued because of their tendency to completely break down if anything happened to their singular little sister. It has been repurposed, however, by Fontaine to be his guard dog. Lambda's diving suit gives it quite a bit of armor and staying power, which is exactly what it was built for. It has two primary methods of attacking enemies: a nasty-looking drill for close-combat, and a rather large rivet gun for long-range combat. Reaver A shrewd businessman and impeccable shot himself, Reaver was the Hero of Skill from his world... until he found himself in the Multiverse. Despite his shrewd business know-how, he struggled to get his business off of the ground. He eventually stumbled into Fontaine's store, and despite his best efforts in trying to negotiate a deal to make himself the owner of Fontaine Futuristics, he was swindled and eventually caught, forcing him to work for Fontaine instead. He still has some of his know-how from his adventuring days, and he can still be deadly with a gun. Alauniira Upon learning that Fontaine had been invited to join up with the Phoenixes, the drow of the Underdark needed to make sure that this was not an attempt at subterfuge and undermining their new tenuous alliance. They sent Alauniira, a priestess and practicioner of magic, to ensure that he would not attempt to jeopardize anything between their causes. She sends reports back to her supreriors to ensure that Fontaine is not doing anything to harm the Phoenixes or the drow. Quotes * "Figure it might make the place more interestin', seein' so many people belchin' fire or crappin' lightnin'... Might give those guards'n sentries a bit more t'do with their time, spice up their shifts..." -- Fontaine to Shepard and Miles about building Fontaine Futuristics in the Wing of Nightfall Trivia *It should come as little surprise, but Jinx is utterly addicted to Fontaine's plasmids and is considered a regular customer already at Fontaine Futuristics. *Interestingly enough, Fontaine Futuristics is the only store on CRRP to sell Enhance element consumables. See also *Fontaine Futuristics *Phoenixes of Armageddon External links * Fontaine's Stat Sheet * Fontaine Futuristics on CRRP * Fontaine's page on Bioshock Wiki * Fontaine Futuristics on Bioshock Wiki * Category:Player Characters